Bread Crumbs
by Rachynn
Summary: [Complete][AU][InuKik]When a mysterious homeless person comes to her store late at night looking for food, Kagome never imagined what would follow.
1. A Piece of Bread

_AN: Why yes, yes I am starting another ficcy. I have no idea where this one is going or if I'll finish it, but thoughts and comments are appreciated in the form of reviews. I clearly need to get a life outside of starting random ficcy's that have no hope of ever amounting to anything…sigh. Anywho, this is a short chapter, but hopefully (if I get enough reviews) it will be continued. So read on and please tell me what you think about it. _

**Bread Crumbs  
Chapter One**

The sun was just rising over the distant hills that surrounded the city. The sky was still painted with purples and dark blues, but the promise of clear skies and warm weather was in the air. In an obscured graveyard, a single young woman stood, her black outfit contrasted with the greens and whites of the poplar trees that surrounded the grave site. She stood on the freshly turned dirt of a new grave, alone. Finally she wiped the last of her tears from her eyes and stepped away.

She would be alone now. Her mother was gone, and she was the last of her family left. She would have to carry on running the store. Perhaps she would make the store her life, the way her mother did when her father died, so many years ago. Perhaps not, maybe she could sell and move away, to try and start anew. Whatever her plans for the future might be, all that she wanted to do now was get away. A visit to the family graveyard was always so sad and dreary.

When she reached the gate, she let her gaze linger on the bright white headstone that marked the grave of her mother. She hadn't been old when she died, but the life she lived had made her seem far older and wiser that others her age. The woman smiled softly, her mother lived a good life,a life withno regrets.

Her good-bye's sufficiently said; the woman locked the gate behind her and drove home in silence.

Kagome Higurashi surveyed the last shelf, stocked high with canned soup. The savoury pictures on the labels made her stomach growl, an unpleasant reminder that she had skipped dinner yet again. A few more marks on her clipboard and she was done inventory, the last thing she did at the end of every business day. It was hours past closing, the sky was dark and the stars were twinkling. She made her way to the counter at the front. Silently she put the clipboard away in the cupboard under the cash register. Double checking that the cash was empty and the store locked up tight, Kagome sighed. Finally the day was over and she could relax.

It was hard, being the only employee of the family store. She had hired others in the past, but Kagome could never get the feel that they really belonged at the store, that their was something wrong with their presence there. In the end, her decision had been to run and operate the store by herself, rather then entrust the job to others who might mess it up, or treat the job like something worthless.

Going up the stairs that led to her apartment on the second floor of the store, Kagome heard a banging coming from the front door. Frowning, she turned around and descended down the stairs. Silently she prayed it wasn't some punk teen or gutsy thief, she didn't have the energy to deal with them tonight.

Re-entering the store level, Kagome turned on the light, grabbed a pepper shaker off the shelf and went to the door. Through the bars she could make out the figure of man. He banged harder on the glass of the door when he saw her. Still frowning, Kagome unlocked the door and stuck her head out.

"We're closed. Come back tomorrow." She said briefly. She got a good look at the man outside. He was dressed in a baggy black sweatshirt and jeans that were to large for his skinny frame. His hood was down, revealing an abundance of strangely coloured hair. His golden eyes stared at her, and despite the warm air of the night she shivered slightly.

"Please." He said before she could pop her head back into the store. "I just need some food, a piece of bread or something. I promise I won't bother you again." He was begging her; she could hear it in his voice.

"I'm sorry." She said, easing herself slowly back into the store. "Its really late and I must be getting to bed. If you need food, there is a food bank down the road. They should be able to help you." It wasn't that she didn't want to give the man some food. In her experience, it was just that giving someone free food made everyone think that they were entitled to the same treatment, or that the beggar felt he could come back at any time and get freebies over and over again.

"Please!" he shouted.

"Shhh…!" she hissed, glancing fearfully into the windows of the neighbour's. They certainly wouldn't appreciate a late night disturbance. "Come back tomorrow. I might be able to arrange something." She told him in a whisper. His eyes widened and he took a step back.

"I'll come back tomorrow then." He said before running off down the road.

Kagome shut the door, checking the locks twice before leaving again. It was possibly one of the strangest encounters of her life. Sure she got the odd beggar, but none of them had the nerve to bang on the door this late at night.

Later, when she was lying in bed, Kagome was still thinking of the man, wondering if he had gone to the food bank. Or was he starving in the street because of her refusal to feed him? Sighing she rolled over, clutching the teddy bear she still slept with occasionally. Why was she always the one who met the strange people at the strange hours? Did someone curse her and not tell her? She was still thinking this as she fell asleep, and her thoughts gave way to dreams.


	2. A Can of Soup

_A/N: Oh yes, I have updated. Also, I figured out some semblance of a plot line for this ficcy! laughs whether or not I stick to it will remain to be seen. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, keep 'em coming! Please. _

**Bread Crumbs  
****Chapter 2**

Her dreams took her back 5 years, to a time when her father was alive. Then it rocketed her to when he died, slow and painful from the cancer. After her father was gone, her mother threw herself into the store, working day and night, becoming a shell of herself. Kagome knew that her mother never recovered from her father's death and eventually died of a broken heart. All night long she was tortured by her fathers smiling face and her mother's pale and lifeless one.

Morning didn't come soon enough. Kagome tossed all night, trying to shake the memories off. When the hand on the clock finally came to rest on six o'clock, Kagome flung back the covers and bounded out of bed. She wandered over to the window and opened the curtains as she did every morning. The sun was barely peeking over the distant horizon, the sky still dark.

It took her a short while to shower, get dressed and eat breakfast. By 6:30, she was downstairs, setting up the store for the day and unlocking the doors. At 7:30 her first customer had already came and went.

Kagome's family had never lived in the big city, but rather a small town setting, where everyone knew everyone. Kagome had always enjoyed life here and never wanted anything more. Her younger brother however, took off as soon as he graduated high school. He got a job as a reporter and was now doing fairly well, travelling around the world for the next big story. He sent her pretty postcards whenever he had the chance.

The bells above the door jingled as a new customer entered. Kagome looked up from the magazine she was reading, to see who entered.

It was the man from the night before.

He wore the same clothes as last night, the large jeans and baggy sweater. The morning light shone down and made his silver hair glisten. By the dark coloured bags under his eyes, Kagome guessed that he didn't get much sleep either.

"Did you go to the food bank?" she asked when he came up to the counter.

"They were closed." he said dully.

Kagome then wondered if he had eaten at all last night. A horrible feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Had he gone hungry all night because she refused to give him food? What if he was starving, on the brink of death and she could have helped him? Absently she played with a lock of her hair, a sign that she was worried or nervous. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know." In truth, she had thought that the food bank would be open all night.

He looked around the front counter, picking up a few chocolate bars; examining them and putting them back down. "The food bank is only open until 9." He told her and began to wander around the store, seemingly looking for something to eat.

Kagome's eyes narrowed, watching him carefully. She didn't put it past him to grab some food and run out the door. He wandered from the candy, to the fruit, to the dairy. Then he noticed her watching him.

"I'm not going to steal anything. You said last night that you could arrange something, so I'm just deciding on what I want."

Kagome nodded to him. "Can you pay?" she asked.

He walked back up to the counter with a loaf of bread and a container of ramen. "No." he stated simply when he put the foodstuffs down in front of her. He gave her a strange look. "I thought the whole point of you arranging something was that I got the food for free."

"I never said that! Come on, you have to have like a dollar or something!" She had planned to give him a massive discount, not just let him waltz out of here with free food. What if he blurted to all his other little hungry friends and then she had a mass of people expecting free food! Then her paying customers would hear about it and feel ripped off because she mad them pay. The colour drained from her face. No, she couldn't let him have the food for free. If she did, trouble would ensue and she'd go out of business.

He threw up his arms in anger. "If I had money do you think I'd expect the food for free!"

Kagome glared. "Calm down. You'd be surprised at some people." This guy clearly had a temper.

"Well, I'm not some people." He yelled back. "All I want is a bloody meal for once! Not some hassle."

"You could be grateful that I even considered giving you anything with that attitude!"

"I can go somewhere else."

"No. That won't be necessary. You don't get to eat a lot do you?" she asked innocently enough.

"Is that any of your business?" he snapped back. "I don't think so."

"Ok. Fine. I won't tell you what I was thinking. It's clearly not my business whether or not you eat everyday." She smiled a bit, baiting him. "Although… I think I know a way that you would be able to obtain food on a regular business."

He was intrigued. She saw it in his golden eyes. "How?" he demanded.

"Work for me."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth and Kagome regretted them. This guy clearly wasn't the easiest person on earth to get along with and she barely knew him. What was she doing offering him a job? He didn't fit in here! Kagome lost herself in exaggerations on the situation, until he spoke, in a nicer tone than before.

"You'd pay me?" he asked softly.

Not quiet wanting to go back on what she said previously, she nodded. "I'd pay you for helping me around the store and make sure you ate three times a day. No matter what the magazines say, being that skinny is not healthy." She gestured to the big clothes he wore in a sad attempt to disguise the fact that you could probably see his ribs.

He stared at her dumbly. "You're sure? You're not just getting my hopes up, only to crush them later?"

She shook her head. "No." She thought that she saw the slightest beginning of a smile on his lips. "Of course, you'd have to follow my every instruction and if you tell anyone that this food" she pointed to the bread and ramen between them "was unpaid for, the deal's off. I don't want masses of people thinking I give away food for free."

He was momentarily speechless. "Thanks…." He said as Kagome put the food in a paper bag and handed it to him. Why had she changed her mind so quickly?

"This is the only meal that you will get for free." She said gravely. "I want you back here at noon, ready to work."

He thanked her again. They stared at each other for a while, until another customer came in. The bells broke the spell. "My name's Inuyasha, by the way." He said to her before walking swiftly out the store, paper bag of food in hand.

Kagome sighed. "What have I gotten myself into?" she muttered to herself, silently praying that this situation would work out for the best before turning to help the new customer.


	3. A Cup of Coffee

_Author's Note: So now that I finally know the plot of this story and the ending, I wrote three chapters yesterday. I'm not going to upload them all at once, but since I have the next few chapters already written the updates shouldn't be to far apart, one a day at minimum. After that though, who knows. I'm changing the summary of this story as well to better reflect what's going on. You know what to do! Read and Review! (It rhymes. Yay for me)_

**Bread Crumbs**

**Chapter 3: Cup of Coffee**

She shivered. It was a cold fall day, her ragged, thin sweater couldn't block out the frostiness in the air. She wrapped her arms around herself, hoping to trap some of her body heat, but it was of little to no use. She wished that he would return soon, hopefully with food. His arms would always keep her warm. She was still smiling at the thought when Inuyasha came in.

"Kikyo! It's our lucky day." He whispered in her ear as he sat down next to her. She turned to face him, wondering what had made him so happy. His face held a sparkle in it that she hadn't seen in ages. "I went back to the Higurashi store today. Look what I managed to get for us." He pulled the bread and ramen out of the bag, putting it in her hands for her inspection.

She broke into a smile. Today they would eat! "That's great Inuyasha!" she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. They had been homeless for months, ever since they left the city. The couple travelled around the countryside, never staying in one town to long, lest they were discovered. Together they had gone days without food, and nights when by sleeping in dirty abandoned buildings or on the rough ground in a ditch.

He smiled back. He loved more than anything to see her happy. "I got some matches off the market too. They cost four slices of bread, but tonight won't be so cold." Kikyo hadn't noticed that the bag had been opened and some slices taken out. She didn't care much either, as long as some was left over for Inuyasha and her to eat.

"That's not all. The Higurashi woman offered me a job! A real paying job! She said she was going to give me meals to. Kikyo, now I can provide for you like a real husband should!" He recalled the incident in the store and laughed. "She thought I was to skinny."

He was so proud of himself, Kikyo thought. She remembered a time when they weren't homeless and on the run. Neither of them had ever been this skinny. Inuyasha used to have the littlest bit of a pot belly even. When had things changed so much?

"That's great!" she said enthusiastically. She hurriedly opened the bag of bread and pulled out a couple of pieces of bread, some for her and some for Inuyasha. It was great that he had a job but how long would it last?

"Does this mean that we are going to stay here for a while?" she asked hopefully. "We've been travelling for so long." It was great that he had a job now; they might be able to stay in one place for awhile and have some food, and extra money.

"Ya. I hope so, but we'll have to see how it goes." He replied between bites of bread. Her shivering didn't go unnoticed and he wrapped his arms around her once the bread was finished. "Think Kikyo, now we can get you some warmer clothes for the winter coming."

She leaned back into his embrace and kissed him softly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

When they broke apart, Kikyo was reminded of the conditions of their new-found 'home'. It was one of those really old, wood built, one room houses that stood on the outskirts of every town. It was falling apart, the roof was half gone and the walls had huge gaping holes in them. The floor was littered with dirt and animal droppings. (Kikyo had laid out one of the blankets so that they could sit down.) There were even a few plants attempting to grow through the floor. The windows had long since lost their glass and the doorframe stood empty.

"I have some news to" she said suddenly, her voice full of pride as she remembered what she had spent most of the morning doing. Inuyasha's golden eyes looked at her expectantly.

"Ya? What is it?"

"I spent the morning looking around this place. Just to make sure that there wasn't anything we should be worried about around." He nodded knowingly. All too often they had stumbled into some cranky animal's territory or some other mishap. She continued. "I found a little stream out back that looks clean enough. Some parts are even wide enough and deep enough that we can wash our clothes and have something akin to a bath. Later I'll rip up a blanket and start scrubbing this place down, since we'll be here awhile." She closed her eyes and shivered again, not with cold but with anticipation. It had been so long since she had been clean, really truly clean.

She found approval in her husband's eyes. A glimmer of hope appeared on the horizon, maybe life wouldn't be so bad forever. Sure, they still live in a shack that creaked every time a strong enough wind passed through. Everything they owned fit into two backpacks and it had been eons since she had last slept in a real bed. However, she had Inuyasha and as long as she had him, life would be bearable.

Abruptly she found herself smothered in another embrace. She responded with enthusiasm. Together they fell back onto the blanket, just holding each other, nothing more. The food that had been so important now lay temporarily forgotten beside them.

They returned to reality after a while. Inuyasha stood up and took off his sweater, revealing at least three more layers of shirts. He handed the oversized piece of cloth to her, which she took gratefully. "It shouldn't get colder today, but just in case."

"Thanks. Are you leaving?" she asked, slightly disappointed.

He sighed. "Yep. Higurashi wanted me back to start work this afternoon. I better get going, can't be late on my first day."

Kikyo pouted. She didn't like it when he left her alone. He saw the look on her face and frowned. "You do want to eat tomorrow right?"

Her stomach growled reminding her of all the nights they had gone hungry. "Of course I want to eat. I'm just being selfish." She looked away and began to pack up the bread and the unopened ramen, to save it for later. After depositing the food into a backpack, she stood up, determination now in her eyes. "Wait until you get home though! I'll have this place so completely clean that you won't recognize it. Then we can eat dinner by the fire, just like old times."

"Sounds romantic." He laughed.

"It will be!" she replied in all seriousness.

He stared at her. "Gotcha. I shouldn't be too late, but I don't know how long she'll want to keep me there. Please don't be disappointed if I don't make it, but I will try my hardest to be home before dark. On my way home, I'll check around for something we can light a fire it."

She gave him a final kiss and hug goodbye before he left. She watched him from the door way, as he ran down to the road that led into town. She watched him until he disappeared into the distance. When he was gone, she turned around, fire in her eyes and glared daggers into the mess that lay before her. She cracked her fingers. "Let's get to work shall we?"


	4. A Bowl of Ramen

_Author's Note: I'm bored. Here's the next chapter. Two in a day, you should all feel special. However, due to the sad lack of interest in the ficcy, I'm probably not going to update again for a while. (By awhile I mean two days, I like writting this story)Also, I forgot the disclaimer on the other chapters. Please don't sue._

_Just to clarify though, I have no idea what running a store or being homeless is like, I just write what I think would happen in my idealistic situation here. Tell me if Inuyasha is too OOC in this chapter. I think he is. Yes, hobo phobia is real; it was on a list of phobias that we obtained in French class a few weeks ago. Oh fun times. R&R!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. (x4)_

**Bread Crumbs**

**Chapter 4: Bowl of Ramen**

Inuyasha was whistling when he walked into Higurashi's General Store. It was a little warmer out now that the sun had reached its zenith, and he was thankful that Kikyo had his sweater. She got chilled easily. The bells jingled when he entered the store, which had a considerably larger amount of customers than when he had previously been there.

His eyes searched for Kagome in the crowd. She was at the cash register, servicing a long line of customers with heavy arms full of purchases. Sensing that Kagome had no time for him at the moment, he moved to the back to wait. The clock about the front door read 10 minutes to 12. He wasn't late.

For the next hour he busied himself with straightening up the shelves. The morning rush had made a mess of the place. The soup cans were in piles, penny candy was all mixed up soft drinks were under wrong labels, the magazine staff was beyond recognition. So wrapped up in his work he was that he didn't notice all the customers had left and Kagome was staring at him as he reorganized the book rack.

"So you came?" she stated, sounding surprised.

"Of course I came. You think I'd blow off three meals and a pay check? Keh, I'm not stupid." He went to the counter where she sat. It didn't look like she had moved since this morning. "I've been here since noon, straightening the shelves."

"I noticed." She said flippantly. "Thanks a lot, lunch-time rush hour always makes a mess." She took on a more serious tone. "Ok, now that you're working for me, we have to go over a few things."

He nodded.

"Number on, you tell people I give you free food and you're gone. Number two, I am not hiring any of our friends. Don't give me that look; I'm not hiring random lowlifes whom I barely know. You're an exception and only because your so skinny. Number three, you're working 10am to 5pm, weekdays only. The store is closed on Sundays. Meals are at 11, 1 and 5. Any questions?"

Ya, why are you so paranoid about hiring homeless people? Was what he wanted to ask, but Inuyasha kept quiet. He shook his head, absently wondering if she was hobo phobic and if she would freak out if he poked her. He almost laughed at the mental image. Wait till Kikyo heard about this chick. She had the aura of a cranky middle aged woman, but she couldn't be any older than 25.

"Ok I know I seem like a complete bitch…" he smirked. She hit the nail right on the nose. "…but I have this thing about hiring people. While you work here, you will assist customers, stock products and help clean, so familiarize yourself with my store. I'm setting your salary at 10$ an hour, but that can be change fairly easily. I can pay you whenever, end of the day or end of the week."

His mouth dropped. 10$ an hour? That was more than he had ever made before. If he worked until 5 tonight, that would be enough money to buy meal for Kikyo for tomorrow and a new sweater for both of them! Kagome must have seen the look on his face, because she laughed.

"I'm the only other person who works here, so I figured it was time to be generous. However, it can change, you've been warned." She said gravely.

"So that's it? No fellow 3rd class citizens in your presence and I work as your janitor for a ridiculously overblown wage?" This definitely seemed too good to be true.

"Well I wouldn't put it like that, but that's basically it." She laughed. She probably thought he was so quaint. Inuyasha would have minded if he wasn't getting paid for being quaint. He gave no response for he was stunned into silence.

"You can calm down now." She said sarcastically. He shook himself back to being able to feel.

"Thank you so much. It's more than I can ever imagine. Where do you want me to start?" He was eager to start working, wanting to feel like he was doing something.

Kagome's blue eyes were full of some unreadable emotion that he hadn't noticed before and couldn't place. She was staring at him funny. He raised an eyebrow. She snapped out of it. "We got a new shipment of coffee beans in this morning. I need you to put price tags on all of them and then move what you can onto the shelves and take off what's there now. Everything you need is in the back room, Got it?"

He nodded. "Ya. Thanks a lot Kagome, for this job I mean. It's really going to help out."

"Your welcome, I'll bring your supper around at 4:30 ok?" She had a smile on her face. It blatantly showing the good feeling she was getting for helping out the needy.

He nodded again and took the key to the back room from Kagome. A few more words of advice later and he was off to work. In the back room he found an entire wall in the back room was staked with canned goods. About a quarter of it were canned coffee beans. On a little table was a pile of orange price stickers, the bright color blaring the $4.99 price at him. The room smelt good, a warm aroma of coffee, cigarettes and new books.

The job was harder than he anticipated. All the coffee had been stacked on top of each other, hindering his ability to price all of them at once. As a result, he had to move around the cans so that he could reach all of them. Before he knew it, all the cans had nice neat stickers on them and Kagome was standing in the door way with a thermos and a cup of steaming coffee.

"I brought you dinner." She said quietly, setting the thermos and water bottle on the table net to the pile of empty sticker paper. He looked up. His stomach growled at the sight of food and he all but jumped to the table. He opened the thermos and was greeted with the beautiful sight of ravioli noodles covered with a savoury red tomato sauce.

"Pasta…" he whispered. It had been so long since he had eaten pasta. At the back of his mind he recalled that Kikyo loved pasta. He definitely had to bring some of it back for her.

Startled at his hesitancy to eat, Kagome curiously asked him if he didn't like pasta.

"No. I think pasta's great. It's just been so long since I ate some that I almost forgot what they looked like." He spoke quietly. "May I take some of this back with me?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. That is my only thermos though, so you can buy your own and take it home."

He smiled. "Thanks." No more words were said for Inuyasha was reacquainting himself with his long lost friend, dinner. Kagome smiled at him and left for the front of the store. Luckily she had made a large pot of pasta the other day and saved the leftovers. At the counter, she played with a lock of hair as she wondered what she was going to feed him with for the rest of the week.

The final hour of Inuyasha's first day of work passed by uneventfully. Once he had finished with the coffee beans, Kagome put him to work sweeping the floor. At 5 sharp he put away the broom and went to the counter with a small armload of things he had amassed for purchasing through out the day.

He waited in the line of customers for his turn. When he was up front, he placed the thermos (already filled with the pasta he saved for Kikyo), a bottle of water, two cinnamon buns, a box of matches, a pair of chocolate bars and a small metal garbage can on the counter in front of Kagome. She was looking at him strangely again as she scanned each item.

The amount came up to a little over half his day's earnings. Double checking the amount on his paper, he handed it to Kagome. He had written down the name and price (tax included) of each item he had bought, the total is would have cost him and what he should left have left over of his earnings.

"Can you deduct this from the money I earned today and then pay me what I have left over at the end of the week?" he asked.

"Of course." Kagome told him. He nodded and gathered everything into the garbage can. "Your handwriting is incredibly good by the way." She told him, a little surprised. Who knew that someone like him would have handwriting this neat and clear?

"Sure." He said a little unsure of what to do. "Well, I'm going to go now. See you tomorrow at 10." With that he turned around, garbage can in his arms and left the store.

Kagome smiled and waved after him. Overall she had been please with his performance. She sighed with relief when the door shut behind him. That anti-feeling of belonging had stayed away the whole time he was here. It was possible that this was the one employee that she didn't have a problem with me.

Kagome closed the store a little earlier. She quickly inventoried and locked up. In her apartment she immediately set to work cooking meals for the rest of the week. She spent at least 3 hours slaving over the stove, preciously caring for the food that she was creating. Ever since she was little, her mother had taught her to cook and she considered herself a pretty good one too.

Once the kitchen was clean and a whole weeks worth of meals was stocked up in the fridge, she thankfully climbed into bed. She lay there for a few moments, thinking over the day. It was remarkable how much Inuyasha had reminded her of her mother, before her dad died. She had always been so eager to work and so thankful for everything. She had to stare at him for a long while, just to convince her that he wasn't some strange creature-from-another-dimension that personified her mother.

Finally she rolled over, said her prayers and fell into a peacefully dreamless sleep.


	5. A Bit of Chocolate

_Author's Note: Wow. Yesterday I started with 1 review, now I have 10. I guess I was wrong and people are interested in this story. Thanks so much! Please keep them coming! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha._

**Bread Crumbs**

**Chapter 5: A Bit of Chocolate**

He left Kagome's store and carried on down Main Street until he came to Poplar Road. Poplar Road was the last street in town before the highways that crisscrossed the country and connected the bigger cities. Inuyasha turned left on Poplar, away from the highways and down into a quiet valley. Eventually the houses of the town gave way to huge grassy fields and sparse shrubbery.

He reached the cabin that he was now occupying just as the sun was going down. He ran the final stages of his journey, the clanging of the items in the garbage can announcing his arrival. It assured him to see Kikyo come through the door way to wait for him.

They embraced each other upon his arrival, the garbage full of goodies forgotten for a moment.

"I'm home!" he called mockingly. Kikyo smiled at him. The cabin was hardly a home, rather a place to stay. "I wonder if we will be able to ever do that for real?" he asked absently, a rare moment of nostalgia settling in.

"Eventually." Kikyo assured him. "For now, though, we'll have to pretend." He didn't miss the sadness in her voice.

"Keh, who needs to pretend? For now, we can make this our home." He was trying to shake the feeling of nostalgia off. It unsettled him to feel this way, especially after such a good day. "Wait 'till you see what I brought back for us." He took her hand and led her back into the cabin.

He didn't make it past the door. The sight before him had paralyzed him with shock and took away his breath. The shack was … clean. Kikyo gripped his hand tighter. "I told you I'd have this place so clean you wouldn't recognize it." Her voice was merry, a change from this morning.

"Wow, Kikyo…this is…this is amazing."

The floor had been scrubbed and scraped to reveal an old, but serviceable lattice-works of wooden floorboards. The walls were of a similar type, the cobwebs cleaned out of the corners and their largest blanket strung up to cover the huge hole in the gaping roof. There were cupboards that he hadn't noticed before, but they had long ago lost their doors. He could see the careful organization of all the food and small items they owned lined up on the interior shelves of the cupboards. To one side, a few of the floorboards had rotten away, so the whole had been filled up with dirt and lined with some spare wood. Three tin cans, rusted with age, stuck out of the dirt, each holding an assortment of burning grass, twigs and fabrics.

"I had to use two of the blankets, one for the roof and one for the cleaning. The cleaning one because so gross that I'm burning. It was hard work but I got it done. Although, sleeping might be a bit uncomfortable, since we only have two blankets and a hard wooden floor." Nevertheless, she was proud of her afternoon accomplishments. The blisters on her hands and the pain in her back had been worth it, just to see his reaction.

"That's fine. Jeez, this place even smells nice!" He wandered around inside for a few moments, exploring. Finally he sat down next to the fire pit, dragging the garbage can over with him. Kikyo sat down next to him, eager to see what he had brought home.

"This work thing might not be so bad. It's pretty easy, and she's paying me a ridiculously large amount. With the money I'm making we'll be richer than we ever have been since we left the city!" He took all the food out from the garbage can and placed it in between them. Then he placed the garbage can on the pile of dirt, intending to make a fire in it later.

Kikyo stared greedily at the cinnamon buns, the chocolate bars, and pasta. She thought back to the afternoon, when she ate the bowl of ramen that Inuyasha brought back earlier. If she kept eating like this, she'd either be sick or fat! She held her hand up to her mouth and coughed. "This is wonderful Inuyasha." She told him.

"Dig in!" he told her, going over to the cupboards to get the bread and ramen from this morning. Kikyo picked up the thermos and began to much away of the pasta, which was a little cold, but still delicious all the same.

"Did Kagome make this herself?" she asked Inuyasha who was still at the cupboards, bread in hand but searching around for something.

"I think so. It's good isn't it? Where's the ramen?"

Kikyo froze. Ramen had always been Inuyasha's favourite, and she had unthinkingly eaten it while he was gone. "Um… The ramen is gone."

He sat back on her heels and stared at her. The look in his eyes was akin to that of a lost puppy. "But why is the ramen gone?" he asked confused.

"Because I ate it" she said very quietly before forcibly putting another pasta noodle into her mouth. Inuyasha came back to where he was before.

"What was that? I didn't quiet catch it." He picked up a cinnamon bun, but didn't open it.

Kikyo swallow the pasta. "I ate it." She said a little louder.

"You ate the ramen!" he yelled.

"I was hungry!" she yelled back.

"I was hungry all afternoon, but I didn't eat the rest of the pasta! You had almost a whole loaf of bread you could have eaten!" He chucked the cinnamon bun at her playfully. It bounced off her head harmlessly, but her eyes widened with mischief.

"It's just bread. It gets old after awhile. I didn't want to eat all the bread…" she grabbed the cinnamon bun off the floor and chucked it back at him, but he caught it.

"Oh, not the bread, just the ramen! Damn it Kikyo, even when we have nothing you're still as picky as ever!" they were both laughing at each other while trying to maintain a visage of seriousness. The fight had progressed to include such projectiles as the chocolate bars, the water bottle, even a wayward spoon.

When the bombardment stopped, Kikyo finished her pasta and Inuyasha made some sort of a sandwich with two piece of bread and a cinnamon bun, which was slightly squished from the fight.

"What is that?" Kikyo asked, pointing at the sandwich and picking up her own cinnamon bun.

"What?" he asked, his mouth full of bun and bread.

"That concoction in your mouth, what is it?" she clarified, although she wasn't surprised. For as long as she had known him, he was always eating weird combinations of foods and drinks.

"Oh. It's food. I could be eating ramen, but no, someone already ate it." He glared at her and pushed the last bit of the sandwich in his mouth. Together they put away the remaining food, and pulled out the blankets, making something that resembled a bed.

They made idle chit chat about their days as Inuyasha got a bigger fire going. He told her all about Kagome's hobo phobic tendencies and his work at the store. With the sun fully set now, the air had gotten a bit chilly. Kikyo was wearing his sweater but he could tell she was shivering a bit.

"Do you ever regret leaving?" she asked suddenly.

He was taken off guard by the question. It wasn't like Kikyo to feel reminiscent about the past. "What kind of question is that?" he asked, unwilling to answer.

Kikyo had wrapped herself in a blanket. She coughed and looked at him. "If we never left the city, we wouldn't have fought about food. We wouldn't have gone hungry for days. We wouldn't have to walk long distances for days on end." It was true. Leaving had been hard, and life after they left had been harder.

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. The fire was in full swing in the garbage can. The smoke drifted up and out of a conveniently placed opening in-between the real roof and the blanket. He crawled back beside her, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug. It was a long while before he spoke. They could hear the crickets chirping

"I don't regret it." He told her. "If we didn't leave the city, you know that we never would have been able to be together."

"Yes. It's just been so hard." She whispered. Sleep tugged at her eyes and she yawned. "It would be nice to sleep in a real bed."

When they had first met, Kikyo had been one of those high matinence girls who wore designer clothes and ate only at expensive restaurants when she wasn't eating food prepared by her family's personal chef. Homeless life had been hard on her, especially during the first few weeks. Since then though, they had both toughened up.

"It's certainly not the romantic fairy tale we thought it would be." Inuyasha stated simply, before pulling the blanket around him. "I'm just grateful that you're still with me."

"I love you." She told him before closing her eyes, finally falling into a state of sleep.

"I love you too."

It was a long while before he fell asleep. The past was just that, the past. It couldn't be changed, but that didn't stop him from reliving the days of his youth in his mind.


	6. A Pinch of Cinnamon

_Author's Note: I felt all warm and fuzzy insideyesterday morning when I read all the positive reviews that the last chapter got. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you all keep reading this story, because I plan on writing more of it. Oh dear, that sounds so corny. This chapter is a little late because my internet stopped working for some strange reason that is unknown to me and when it got working, the traffic on ffn was to heavy for me to upload this chapter. I apologize profusely for the wait. If I get it written in time, the next chapter may be up later today or earlytomorrow morning, to compensate for the lag in updates yesterday._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. _

**Bread Crumbs**

**Chapter 6: A Pinch of Cinnamon**

Her blue eyes followed the bob of red hair as it moved around the store. It went from the magazines to the candy to the drinks, examining items and then putting them back. Kagome watched him carefully; there was no doubt in her mind that the kid was here to shoplift.

It was a sad start to the day. It was almost 10, but already she had trouble makers on her hands. She rarely had a problem with shoplifters, but it did happen on occasion. Still keeping an eye on the boy as he moved to the canned goods section, Kagome turned to help a customer who had waited patiently in line.

No sooner had she finished with the customer than the kid made a dash for the door, hands in his pockets.

"Hey!" She yelled. "Come back here!" It seemed like it was too late, the kid was gaining speed and halfway out the door. She banged her hand on the counter in frustration and went to chase after him.

It was an unnecessary motion. The thief had run right into someone as they entered the store. He fell to the ground with a grunt, the apples he had taken falling out of his pockets and rolling across the store. Kagome looked up to see who the kid had bumped into. It was Inuyasha, coming in to start his shift.

The red-head tried to get up and away but Inuyasha had already picked him up by the collar of his coat and held him in the air. His feet kicked out uselessly against his captor. "Let me go!" he yelled. He balled his fists up and tried to land a punch on Inuyasha, but to no apparent avail.

Kagome gasped. "Put him down Inuyasha!" she yelled, running over to the scene, careful not to tread on the pilfered apples.

"Ya! Put me down." The kid added, finally delivering a swift kick to Inuyasha's gut. The impact caused the taller man to drop him. Seizing his chance, the kid picked up an apple and dashed out the door.

"Ha!" he yelled from across the street. "Once again, I elude my captors." The kid bowed, showing off to the pedestrians passing by. He was standing on top of a bench, a huge grin on his face. He was clearly pleased with himself. To make his point, he took a huge bit of the apple and made a show of chewing it.

"That's what you think, you little brat!" Inuyasha yelled back, having recovered from his injury. His ego was damaged and he now sought to restore it by bring the kid in for justice. "I'm gonna make that kid pay!" he told Kagome before running out after him.

Apple-thief saw the enraged, skinny man coming for him. A look of momentary terror crossed his face. Sensing that standing out in the open was probably not the best position for him to be in, Apple-thief jumped off the bench and ran down the street, Inuyasha close behind.

Kagome watched the situation unfold before her in stunned silence. Inuyasha was chasing the kid up and down the street, the sound of their yelling reaching her ears. Knowing that she needed to take charge of the situation was first and for front on her mind.

"Inuyasha!" she yelled. The man in question had finally caught the shoplifter and held him in a tight headlock. The kid was struggling and kicking, but Inuyasha was prepared to not let himself get harmed again. At her yell, the pair both stopped and looked her way.

"Both of you get back here!" This was unacceptable. They had caused a scene in the streets. A small crowd had begun to form near the store. Kagome was filled with embarrassment and yelled again, in not so nice language, for the two trouble makers to pick up the pace and get inside. What if she lost some of her customer's because of this? What if they associated her store with the kind of teenage violence that she had seen so much of on the news? Oh no, this must be stopped now!

Inuyasha dragged the kid down the street and into the store, both of them grumbling and yelling the whole way. Kagome slammed the door behind them, putting up the 'Closed' sign so that they wouldn't be disturbed. She watched through the window until the crowd dispersed. When she was satisfied that the time was right she turned on the two beings behind her.

"What do you think you're doing!" she yelled. Both Inuyasha and Apple-thief paled in fright. Immediately, Inuyasha loosened his hold on the kid, who in turn stopped trying to bite the hand around his neck.

"That was the most immature display of childish antics I have ever seen!" she continued.

"He was shoplifting from your store!" Inuyasha protested, pointing at the kid who stood a few feet away, out of his reach. The kid glared at him and stuck his tongue out. It took all his willpower for Inuyasha to ignore it.

"I realize that, but if you had waited a moment before trying to beat the crap out of him, you would have seen that I had the situation under control."

"Didn't look like that to me." He muttered.

"Ya, me neither." The boy chimed it. "I mean, honestly woman, I could have easily outrun you." Looking at the length of the boys legs, which were short and stubby, Kagome doubted it.

"You be quiet. You have no right to come in here and steal from me. You have to pay like everyone else!" she scolded him. "Even if you did pay, shouldn't you be in school, like all the other kids your age?"

The boy looked down at the floor. Inuyasha looked at him, waiting for the sob story he was sure the boy would attempt to weave.

"I don't go to school." He said simply. "It was to boring so I stopped going after the first week."

"What did your parents have to say about that?" she asked seriously. He couldn't have been more than 10, way to young to be making decisions like that on his own. Something was up.

"I don't have any parents. Been living on my own for as long as I can remember." He said it as though he was talking about the weather.

Kagome looked up and counted to ten. What had she done to deserve this? Why the sudden increase in homeless people on her stoop? Did she wear a sign on her back that said 'Are you homeless? I can help'?

"So you're homeless?" she asked quietly.

"Hey! I don't know him!" Inuyasha piped in. A horrific thought crossed his mid. If Kagome had thought that he told the squirt about her store, he would loose his job. "I didn't tell him anything."

The kid glared at both of them. The guy was clearly spouting nonsense and the woman was most likely about to give him a boring, dreary speech about his situation.

"I don't need help!" he yelled, making a dash for the door. Kagome caught him in her arms before he could make it out. Defeated, he slunk back to his spot.

"So you are homeless." She stated.

"Yes." He snapped.

There was silence in the store.

Kagome wrinkled her nose, hardly daring to believe that a parent would abandon their child to a life on the streets. What was the world coming to? It wasn't right that a child should have to live without the love and comfort she enjoyed as a child. "I can't let you go back onto the streets…but you can't stay with me."

"Who said I wanted to? You can't assume something like that!" He was almost disgusted that she would suggest such a thing.

"He can stay with me…" Inuyasha said quietly, looking up from the magazine he had picked up off the front counter. Kagome looked at him.

"You'd do that?" she asked, touched by his offer, but relieved that she wouldn't have to take the kid in.

"He's even worse! You can't make me stay with him! I'll runaway, I'll…" Shippo continued but he was ignored.

"It's only temporary right? As long as it's only for a few days, I think I can handle it." He shrugged; Kikyo would probably enjoy the extra company throughout the day.

"You have a place to live?" Kagome asked, a little doubtfully.

Inuyasha glared at her. "I have a place to rest my head! It's not a palace or anything."

"Can't you hear me? I don't want to stay with him! I don't need your help."

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but Inuyasha beat her to it. "You don't have to stay with me, it's just a suggestion. However, if you want a place to stay when it gets cold, you'd be welcome to crash at my place." He hastily scribbled directions on receipt paper and handed them to the kid. He took them reluctantly and shoved them into his pocket.

"I'm not making any promises." He stated. "May I go now?"

"No." Kagome said. "First you have to tell me your name. Second, you have to pay me back for those apples."

"I didn't take you apples. Your attack dog wouldn't let me!" Shippo shouted in protest. "Why do you want my name? It's not like you'll see me after today."

"Do you want me to call you Apple-thief for the next few hours?" Inuyasha asked.

"No!" He seemed horrified, giving into the demand. "My name is Shippo."

"Now that that is settled, back to the more important issue here. You may not have taken the apples, but you did drop them all over the floor." Kagome picked up one of the apples in question, pointing out each imperfection on it. "They're all full of bruises from the fall. I can't sell these now."

"I don't have any money. I can't pay you back." Shippo hoped this excuse would get her off his case.

"You don't have to pay me in money." She said in a creepy voice. "You can work around the store."

Shippo gulped.

Kagome reopened the store, allowing a stream of customer's in. The day carried on with out interruption. Inuyasha and Shippo were hard at work moving boxes, restocking product, helping out customer's when Kagome was busy. There was the odd fight between the two workers, but it was quickly solved with an icy stare from Kagome.

Although Inuyasha had been forced to share his meals with Shippo, there was still enough pizza at lunch and spaghetti at dinner leftover to take to Kikyo. At 5 Shippo ran out the door, screaming something about freedom. Inuyasha bought another unit of ramen to make up for last night's lack, said good-bye to Kagome and left a few minutes later.

He spotted Shippo outside, leaning up against a wall near the door. "You learn your lesson Squirt? No more shoplifting!" he said in passing.

Shippo glared at him. "I'm not going with you."

"I didn't expect you would. It did get Kagome off your back though didn't it?" He walked past the kid. "You do have the directions though, so if you feel like it, pop on by."

"I won't"

Inuyasha ignored him and continued walking him, a knowing smile on his face.

Inuyasha arrived home safely, to the joy of his wife. He didn't see Shippo the whole way, so he assumed the kid had scrambled off to wherever he spent his time. The sun had gone down and the air was slightly chilly, even Inuyasha and his many layers of clothing was shivering.

He was having a 'moment' with Kikyo before retiring to bed, when a familiar voice interrupted them.

"You two are disgusting with all your mushy talking and kissing. Gross!" Shippo exclaimed from the doorway. Inuyasha groaned, momentarily regretting telling the kid he could drop by any time. Anytime would have been good, anytime but now.

"Who are you?" Kikyo demanded, slightly confused and not at all happy with the interrupted.

"Kikyo, this is Shippo. Shippo this is Kikyo, my wife." He put a bit of emphasis on the last part. He told Kikyo what had happened earlier that day as Shippo made his own nest on the opposite side of the campfire, grumbling something about his normal sleeping space being already occupied.

Later, when Shippo's soft breathing and the crackling of the fire were the only sounds coming from inside the cabin, Kikyo turned to him.

"That was a nice thing you did." She whispered.

"I guess. It's not like Kagome was going to help him."

"Sure, but…" Kikyo coughed. Her frowned, it sounded worse than yesterday.

"You ok?" he asked, slightly concerned.

"I'm fine, just caught a bit of a cold. I was outside all day. What I was trying to say was that a few months ago, you never would have done anything like that." She snuggled closer to him.

"I wasn't the same person I am now a few months ago."

She smiled, but he couldn't see it. "No, no your not." Kikyo said softly before drifting to sleep.

_Author's Note II: Ok I really didn't like this chapter. Firstly, I believe that Shippo has way to much attitude. However, I was the only way I could think of that would introduce him,because heis going to be extremely important later on. Well, there probably were other ways, but this is how it turned out. Tell me if this chapter was too different from the feel of the other chapters, I think it was. Anyways, I'll stop complaining. Thanks for reading! Sorry for the wait, and please keep reviewing!_


	7. A Grain of Salt

_Author's note: This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter and very short, but I things are going to start picking up in the next couple of chapters. Thanks for all the reviews so far, and, though this chapter is kind of pointless,I hope that you all continue to read and review as well._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. _

**Bread Crumbs**

**Chapter 6: A Grain of Salt**

It was only noon, but he could have sworn it was later. The clouds were so dark. Having momentarily run out of things to do, Inuyasha stood at the back of the store, flipping through a book that he thought looked interesting. There were no customer's in the store and Kagome sat at the counter, looking as bored as he felt.

Suddenly thunder cracked directly overhead. The noise made both of them jump, Inuyasha dropped his book and Kagome gasped. Then the rain came down, huge, wet drops that began to pelt the windows and the road outside. Inuyasha wandered to the front of the store, glancing out the window.

Concern for Kikyo momentarily crossed his mind. She hadn't been feel that great this morning before he left, and that cabin didn't look like it could stand up to much. He bit his lip. Should he go to her?

"It doesn't look like we'll be getting to many customers in this weather." Kagome stated, coming up beside him.

He nodded his head in agreement. "I wouldn't want to be outside in this weather."

"No. Hey, did you end up seeing Shippo last night?" she asked.

"Yes. He came in quite lat, but left again after breakfast. I hope he didn't get caught in the rain." As soon as the food was gone, so was Shippo. Inuyasha smirked; he should have known that the kid wouldn't stick around.

"That's good. I thought there was a change he might not go. You want a cup of coffee?"

Inuyasha didn't answer. He was conflicted inside about whether or not to check on Kikyo, or look around for the little brat.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice and hand on his shoulder jolted him back to his surroundings.

"What?" He jerked his shoulder and her hand fell off.

"I asked if you want a cup of coffee." Kagome was frowning, genuinely worried about her employee. "You seem a little preoccupied."

Inuyasha was a little surprised that he hadn't heard her. He turned away from the window. "Sure I'll have a cup of coffee, if your offering." He ran a hand through his hair. Who was he kidding? Shippo wasn't his problem and Kikyo had been through a hundred thunder storms. She knew how to take care of herself.

Kagome smiled. "Ok, I'll be right back, take a seat at the counter if you want." She disappeared up the stairs that lead to her apartment and Inuyasha took a seat. She returned with a pot of coffee and two plain white mugs. The pot of coffee was set down on a cloth on the counter. Inuyasha looked at it warily. The pot was full, how much coffee did Kagome think he was going to drink?

She poured a cup for him and a cup for herself. He took his cup and immediately raised it to his lips, taking a deep gulp. He hadn't taken into account however, that coffee, when it is first made, is hot. The searing liquid travelled down his throat, burning his taste buds, causing him to choke and spew the dark drink.

His insides were sufficiently set aflame when he heard Kagome laughing. He was dying and she was laughing at him!

"I guess it was a little to warm." She said, seeing his struggling.

"No shit!" he yelled. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"

"No. I just assumed that one waits for their coffee to cool down before trying to chug it!" To prove her point, she blew a little bit on her coffee before taking a sip herself.

"Well, sorry if it's been awhile since I had coffee. Jeez." He muttered, head sinking down to rest in his hands on the counter.

"I'm sorry. I should have warned you." She genuinely felt bad.

"Ya, whatever."

Silence ensued. The rain was still coming down heavily, prohibiting anyone from leaving the warmth of their houses. Kagome opened and closed her mouth several times, as if she was trying to say something but then changing her mind. They continued to sip their coffees.

"Inuyasha, I've been thinking." Kagome finally said suddenly. "We don't really know each other very well."

He rolled his eyes. "We_ have_ only been working together for three days. You can't expect us to be all buddy-buddy already."

"I guess." Kagome said quietly. "However I think that it would be better for our working relationship if we knew a little more about each other."

Inuyasha paused and than reluctantly compiled. "If I must, what do you want to know?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "Why are you homeless?" she ventured.

He choked. Way to start with the easy stuff! "You certainly don't beat around the bush, do you?" She simply stared at him with an innocent smile. "It's a long story, one I'm not so sure I feel comfortable enough to tell you." The smile dropped a bit.

"Please? I'm curious to find out how one becomes homeless. You'd be enriching my knowledge of the world around me." There was a pinch of sarcasm in her voice. She wasn't quiet begging, but definitely worming her way into a conversation that was none of her business.

"This isn't some game. We don't just decide one day that we don't feel like living in a house anymore, so we're going to try life outside for a change." He scolded. "People become homeless for a variety of different reasons, most of which are extremely complicated and serious."

"I know it's not a game Inuyasha. I just fail to see how someone like you, who is clearly an intelligent and hardworking man, resigns himself to the kind of life you have. I know it's not a decision that you can make on the spur of a moment. Is it wrong for me to be a tiny bit worried about an employee?" She was fighting back now, trying to show him that she did have some shred of compassion; that she really cared about his situation.

He took a sip of coffee, contemplating about what to say. She stared at him, not the way she had been on his first full day of work, but differently. It was kind of creepy, like she was trying to peer into his soul, to see what he was thinking or feeling. Finally he relented. He couldn't tell her the whole story; that would just be irresponsible.

"Ok, I'll tell you, but not all of it." Before he could continue however, the door banged open with a loud _smack_. Kagome and Inuyasha turned to the door with surprise. Who wouldbe outside in this weather?

Shippo stood there, back hunched over, breathing heavily from having run all the way from far end Poplar Road to the store.

"Shippo…" they both said as one. "What are you doing here?" Kagome asked.

He gulped for air before speaking. "Inuyasha, you have to come back. It's Kikyo." Inuyasha jumped up. Something had happened! He knew he shouldn't have left her alone! Kagome stood back in confusion. Who was Kikyo?

"What about Kikyo?" he asked, shaking Shippo slightly. "Did something happen to her?"

It was impossible to tell if it was tears or rain streaming down his cheeks.

"I-I-I think, I think she's dying." He whispered.


	8. The Last Slice of Pie

_Author's Note: Since yesterday was Canada Day, I was dragged downtown to partake in celebrations with an obscenely huge crowd. Then this morning I was out looking for a job and La Tour de France was on, so my updating is a tad later that normal. Oh well, what can one do! Sorry for the wait. Please keep reviewing, so I know if this story is ok or not. :P _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha._

**Bread Crumbs**

**Chapter 8: The Last Slice of Pie**

The rain slammed against his face. He was drench with water as the storm continued on, showing no signs of breaking up soon. He couldn't feel anything though, not until he could get home, and see what was wrong. Shippo's breathless newsflash ran over and over again in his head. He could get it out, all he could do was run faster, and hope that he reached Kikyo on time.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled from somewhere behind him. Inuyasha didn't pay any attention to her. It hadn't quiet registered that she had followed him out of the storm and was struggling to keep up with his fast pace. She continued to scream his name in confusion. He was almost there.

_"It's Kikyo… I think she's dying."_

Finally he arrived at the shack that for the past five days had been his home. He burst into the cabin, breathless from the energy he had exerted to get here. Kikyo lay in a dry corner, wrapped up tightly with blankets. The fire had been put out, a hole in the roof allowed rain to drip through. He went in closer. More inspection showed him that she was shaking violently. Kikyo was coughing much worse than he remembered. It was a sickly sort of wheezing. He went to her, kneeling down beside her.

"Kikyo…" he whispered. "I'm here." Her head turned toward him. It was possibly the first time he had ever felt true fear. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth, down her chin. In a gesture of comfort he put a hand to her forehead. To his horror, it was covered in sweat and burning with heat.

"What happened?" he asked in confusion. He was so confused. This morning she had only been coughing, and had finally asked him to get her some medicine. She didn't seem any worse. Now Kikyo was staring straight at him. He saw fear in her eyes. After a few moments of searching, he found her hand and held it tightly. Kikyo opened her mouth, attempting to talk, but the talking and the blood made in near impossible. Anger rose within him, answering the confusion he felt.

"I found her outside and hour ago." Shippo explained quietly, taking a seat on the opposite side of Inuyasha. "It had started to rain, so I came back. She wasn't in the cabin, so I went out to look for her. I found her near that stream. She must have collapsed or something because she couldn't pick herself up. I brought her in here and wrapped her up with the blankets before I went to get you. She wasn't this bad when I left though."

Inuyasha digested the words while removing the hair that had fallen in Kikyo's face. She must have fallen or something before it started raining, and then got caught in the storm. What had she been doing outside though?

"We have to get her to a hospital!" Kagome yelled, seeing the chaos that lay before her. She had arrive behind the two guys, and was possibly more perplexed that either of them. She had recoiled in horror at the sight of Kikyo on the floor and stood a few steps back.

At the mention of the word 'hospital' Kikyo's eyes widened in terror. She shook her head, of her own will, and grasped Inuyasha's hand tightly. He understood immediately.

"No!" he yelled. "We can't go to the hospital; we can take care of her ourselves." There was no way he was talking her there. Not after last time. "You have to be strong Kikyo; you can't just leave like this."

"I…" she was trying to speak. Inuyasha put a hand over her mouth, motioning for her to be quiet, to conserve her energy. The shaking was slowing down.

"We have to get her to a doctor!" Kagome was yelling. What was with him? Couldn't he see that she needed professional help? "What do you think you can do for her here?" Shippo had grabbed Kikyo's other hand, trying to be helpful.

"I…I…" More blood, more thunder, more lightening. It was nightmarish; the fear could have physically manifested itself if it had gotten any greater.

"Shh…" Inuyasha soothed, wiping the blood from her chin with his sleeve. He could tell though, that it was too late. The shaking was slowing down, her eyes were unfocused and slightly glazed over. When she wasn't coughing, her breath came heavily and laboured. A wave of emotion rose up in his chest. He couldn't cry. He couldn't show her that he was weak, he need to be strong for her. He tried to smile, but it was harder than he thought.

"It…doe…sn't…hurt" she rasped. "I'm…ju…st…scar…ed." It was evident.

"I love you Kikyo."

"I…lo…ve…you…too…In…uya…sha"

The shaking finally stopped. He realized now that her hand was ice cold. A new was a fear splashed over him. She tried to smile up at him. It was a sorry sight. Kikyo's face was the colour of chalk, save for the thin line of blood trailing down her chin. Her eyes turned milky, and the laboured breathing stopped. He froze. This was too fast! She couldn't be gone!

"Kikyo?" he said in disbelief. No response, only silence. "Kikyo? He said again. Her grip on his hand was slack. He couldn't believe it. After all they had been though together, it was going to end like this? It was so sudden, so unexpected. What the hell ways _this_ anyways?

"Why did I go to work today?" he asked mournfully to no one in particular. "She was so much worse this morning. I should have stayed home." Tears welled up behind his eyes. He would not cry! Crying was weak; she wouldn't have wanted him to cry. "When it started to rain, I told myself I should have gone home, just to check on her. How come I didn't?" he was yelling now. "What just happened!" he berated himself, blaming himself. If only's and what if's danced around in his mind, teasing him.

Suddenly he felt warm hands on his shoulders. It was now that he realized how cold and wet he was himself. His hair and clothes were soaked through fro the downpour they had ran here in.

"Stop blaming yourself." Kagome whispered into his ear. "It couldn't possibly be your fault." It wasn't fair of him to blame himself. She was confused but she understood that whatever had happened wasn't his fault. Silently she wondered who the dead woman was. She had been close to Inuyasha, from his reaction, perhaps she was his girlfriend or something.

He swatted her hands away, not wanting her words of comfort.

Shippo had let go of Kikyo's hand. It was kind of morbid to be touching a dead person in his mind. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, his emotion running freer than Inuyasha's. He stood now, a few feet away. "What are we going to do?" he asked. "What are we going to do?" He paced back and forth, his wet sneakers squishing on the wooden floor. She had been so nice at breakfast this morning. In her eyes, he saw something that he hadn't seen for years; love.

Kagome went to Shippo. She wrapped her arms around him, and was welcomed by him. In his ear she told him comforting words, trying to disguise her own fears and insecurities.

It was like that for a long while.

Finally, Inuyasha closed the eyes of his wife. He used to sleeve of his still wet shirt to clean her face. Then the thunder stopped and the sound of rain grew quieter and quieter until only silence reigned.

Kagome stopped running her hands through Shippo's hair. They were both kneeling on the ground, holding each other, eyes red from tears. She turned to see Inuyasha standing at the door. In his arms lay Kikyo, whom he carried bridal-style.

"Inuyasha…" both she and Shippo stared at him. He turned towards some of the life gone out of his eyes.

"What do we do now Kagome?" he asked, voice dead.

**End of Part I**

_Author's Note: So since this is the end of Part I, the next update will probably be a day or two away. I'm taking a tiny little break of a day. Also, I'm going to summer school starting next week, so update's are going to be a little slower after this week. I apologize now. Hope you enjoyed Part I of 'Bread Crumbs' and stick around for Part II. Please review!_


	9. The Sweet Aroma of Ginger

_Author's Note: Ack! It's been almost three days since I last updated. I am so sorry. I got distracted and busy and sick, I feel so bad. Anyways, this is the third version of this chapter. The other two version of this chapter were vastly different and I didn't like either of them. Oh well. Please review and tell me what you think! _

_I was pleasantly surprised at some of the reviews in response to the last chapter. I didn't think that a lot of people would care what happened to Kikyo. (I do, I'm a huge Kikyo fan, although with the events of this story and my other ones, you probably wouldn't have been able to tell.) Now I feel bad for killing her off…oh darn, I can't change it now. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha._

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**Bread Crumbs Part II**

**Chapter 9: The Sweet Aroma of Ginger**

The buried her in the cemetery, under a poplar tree that seemed to reach for the sky and go on forever. There was no ceremony, no funeral, only the digging of a hole and then filling it back up again. The headstone was a simple white slab with her name and dates written on it. Inuyasha didn't want anything more, claiming that she wouldn't have either. He was clearly upset by the turn of events and no matter what Kagome or Shippo said or did, he still blamed himself.

After Kikyo had died, Kagome had invited Inuyasha and Shippo to come and live with her. She had a spare bedroom (that had once been hers when she was growing up) that they could share. She had seen the conditions that they had lived in and decided that she could help them. It took a lot of convincing, threatening and yelling, but finally the two moved in. Immediately, she put them both to work in her store, her previous fear of the homeless and employees was now gone.

It was now exactly a week since Kagome had first met Inuyasha. It was a week since he had banged on her door in the night, demanding food.

It was late, and Shippo had long since gone to sleep. Kagome and Inuyasha were sitting in silence in the kitchen. Kagome was washing dishes, her back to him, and staring out the window. It was snowing. Soft white flakes drifted down peacefully from the dark sky. Kagome shuddered, thinking how cold it would have been in that shack that the three had been living.

She removed her soap-suds covered hands from the dirty water, which was draining away. As she dried her hands she walked over to Inuyasha, who was sitting on the counter, a frown on his face. In his hands was the sheet of paper that came in the mail earlier, from the hospital.

"What does it say?" she asked timidly.

He looked up, clearly surprised that she was still there. "The ultimate cause of death was sub acute hypothermia. Her body got so cold it just shut down and stopped working. I still don't know why she was outside though. You would think that with the rain coming she would have stayed inside." His brow was crossed as he ran over possibilities in his mind, but he couldn't think of anything that suited him or made sense. "I have no idea how long she was outside either, and Shippo doesn't know. Now that I know how she died, I still have so many questions. I should have stayed home that say."

Kagome glared at him and slowly counted to 10. This non stop blaming of himself was driving her nuts. "It's not your fault that she decided to go outside for whatever reason. It's not your fault that she fell in a bad way and couldn't pick herself up. So stop blaming yourself! I'm sure if you had known that this was going to happen you would have done everything you could have to save her."

"She sprained her ankle, that's why she couldn't get up. She had a cold as well, which weaken her immune system and made her more susceptible to the cold." He handed her the autopsy report. She skimmed the report over. It was mostly medical talk that she couldn't understand, but what she could read was consistent with what Inuyasha was telling her.

"I'm sure that Kikyo doesn't blame you." She said quietly, setting the report on the counter beside them. He nodded, to her surprise. For once he agreed with her on something relating to her death.

"She was always like that." He said sadly.

Kagome returned the dish cloth to the stove, where she hung it from a rack. "You know, it's pretty awkward, still not knowing the history between you two." He had been about to tell her how they became homeless when Shippo had burst in the store and interrupted them. "I know that she was your wife, but how does a couple that was clearly as in love as you two were become homeless?"

He was quiet for a moment.

"We weren't always homeless." He said after they had moved to the kitchen table. Kagome was munching on an apple that she plucked from the fruit bowl at the center. Inuyasha had an orange, which he peeled as he talked.

"Obviously not." She said.

"We met each other in the last year of high school, in Redding City. She was a high maintenance kind of girl, with designer clothes and her daddy's credit card in her purse. I was a little bit the same, but I considered myself a 'rebel' and I was in a band. A damn good band too." He smiled at the memories. In the first few months of their homelessness, Kikyo and Inuyasha had often reminisced about old times, telling each other jokes, and laughing about past events. He could almost hear her voice laughing because in reality his band sucked.

He continued "At first, I thought she was a stuck up snob, but once I got to know her, I change my opinion. We were introduced by a mutual friend at a party. At the start she hated me, but after she met me she was no match for my irresistible charm." His eyes twinkled with sarcasm. This was the first time Kagome had seen an emotion in him other than depression or anger or blame. She smiled. 'He must really miss her' she thought sadly.

"We were an 'item' by the end of the school year. So we went to prom together, as was expected from our friends and classmates. I guess you could say that we were the kind of people that most people envy. We had no shortage of money or happiness. We had anything we wanted and we were in love by the next summer."

Kagome was listening with rapt attention. His life sounded like a fairy tale, so different from hers. Her school didn't even have a prom! "Wow." She breathed. Why had he left all of that? What could have possibly been a strong enough to force to make them leave such a life?

"It was two years later that everything changed. It was summer and Kikyo and I were planning to elope. Neither of us wanted the hustle and pain of a huge wedding. In July, the day after we were married we had a party of sorts. Everyone was there, our friends, our close family, and some extended family. I still don't know how it started, but there was a fire. It got really bad and we didn't have insurance." He paused, popping an orange slice in his mouth. "People died and we lost everything. We had no place to live; our families were dead, or to far away to be of any help. In one night, all our money was gone because we had to pay for damages to the building. Our happiness was gone and we had no idea what to do." He smirked. "We were literally left with only the clothes on our back."

"So…you left the city? Did you not have friends you could stay with, until you got back on your feet?" In her small town, when someone lost everything the whole town banded together to help. Kagome went from wanting his life to be bewildered and put off by it.

"Important people died in the fire. It went without saying that a lot of people were mad about it and at us. We left the city to escape the scandal and the people who were mad at us. After a while, the two of us began to travel around. We went hungry a lot, and rarely practised hygiene that had been so important to Kikyo in high school. However, we got into the mindset that it was an adventure, all the more romantic because it was just the two of us, fighting the wild on our own." He explained the situation calmly, before returning to thought. His orange was finished; the peelings lay on the table all alone. Kagome played with her apple core, not sure of what to say.

Inuyasha stood up. "I told you what happened to us Kagome. Happy now?" He dropped the peels in the garbage can. He turned and began to walk down the hall, intent of retiring for the evening.

"Inuyasha wait." She called, throwing her apple core out and following him down the hall. Their bedrooms were opposite each other, with the bathroom at the end of the hall. He stopped, hand on the doorknob. He looked at her.

She breathed deep and spoke. "I really appreciate you telling me your story and I apologize for being so nosy. I'm sorry for Kikyo's death, and I hope that you get over it someday. I just want you to know, that no matter what your plans for the future are, there will always be a place for you and Shippo here at my store and my house. You can stay as long as you want.

His look softened. "Thank you Kagome." He said and smiled. "May I go to sleep now?"

She smiled back and nodded. "Good night."

"Good night Kagome."

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_Author's Note 2: Some notes for reference: sub acute Hypothermia occurs on a scale of __hours__, most commonly by remaining in a cold environment for an extended period of time. (Source: Wikipedia.) Also, __I made Redding City up. Thus, I think I own it._


	10. The Tangy Explosion of Clementine's

**Bread Crumbs**

**Chapter 10: The Tangy Explosion of Clementine's**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha**_

* * *

Shippo yawned and stretched. As he moved his head back, he was temporarily blinded by the rays of sun that leaked through the open window. Groaning, he grabbed his pillow and rolled over, facing the wall. Why were mornings always so irksome? When he was comfortable and drifting off to a state of unconsciousness, he was disturbed once more. A deep rumbling was coming every so often from the other side of the room. Slightly bothered, Shippo rolled back over to see what was going on.

Inuyasha was curled into a little ball, legs tucked in and arms wrapped around his pillow, hugging it. He hadn't bothered to crawl under the covers on his own bed before falling asleep. Shippo glared daggers at him as he continued to snore. The 12-year-old wrapped his own pillow around his head in an attempt to block out the sound, but it was of little success. Frustrated and now wide-awake, Shippo swung his legs off the bed and stood up.

'As long as I'm up, why not see if breakfast is ready?' he thought as he left the room, shutting the door softly behind him. As he padded down the hallway he became aware of a delicious aroma filling his nose. He reached the kitchen and saw Kagome, still in her pyjama's standing in front of the stove, whisk in hand. Shippo sat down at the table, licking his lips in anticipation. The past few days had proven Kagome an exceptional cook.

Kagome turned around. "Oh, good morning Shippo!" she said cheerfully when she saw him. "I'm making scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. You want some?"

"Of course I do!" he said happily, momentarily forgetting the mishap in the bedroom. Kagome handed him a full plate of steaming yellow eggs and a small stack of toast. He eagerly picked up his fork and began to work away at it. A few moments later Kagome sat across from him, with the same spread of food, as well as a cup of black coffee.

"You're up early." She said, taking a bit of toast covered with strawberry jam.

He rolled his eyes and shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth. "Can't get any sleep, the light is too bright and someone snores too loudly."

Kagome giggled, somehow that didn't surprise her. Shippo looked at her quizzically.

"Shouldn't you be down in the store?" he asked.

"No, it's Sunday. The store's closed." She explained.

"Why?" he asked in turn.

"Well, since there is only one real full time employee working at the store, she needs a break every week." The food was almost cleared from their plates. Kagome took the last sip of coffee just as Inuyasha walked in.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, scratching his head, as though trying to recall where he was. Spotting the food however, he quickly grabbed a plate, dished himself a generous portion of breakfast and sat down between Kagome and Shippo at the table. It was after a few bites of eggs that he noticed his two roommates were staring at him.

"What?"

Kagome just smiled and stood, taking her dishes to the sink. Shippo glared at Inuyasha over his plate. "You snore." He was pointing at him with his fork.

Inuyasha looked at him. "So?"

Shippo stood up himself and followed Kagome to the sink. "I'm just saying" he said on the way, sticking his tongue out in Inuyasha general direction. "I don't like being kept awake."

The clock read 7:45am. "Ok guys." Kagome said after she had cleaned up the dishes. "I'm going to have a shower and get dressed, and then we are going out."

"We?" Inuyasha asked, slightly confused.

"Yes 'we'. You can't mope around the apartment all day, so I've taken the initiative to make plans and take you two out and show you around town. I'm sure you both could use some new clothes." Kagome explained, disappearing down the hall before the boys had a chance to respond or protest.

A smile appeared on Shippo's face. "Oh man! This is going to be awesome!" he exclaimed. Ever since moving in with Kagome his attitude had really changed. It was apparent that having something akin to a home life was good for the kid. Kagome really spoiled him with treats and privileges, and the two had formed a close bond ever since the last night at the cabin, in the storm.

Inuyasha sneered. "Since when have you been so excited about shopping and new clothes?" He asked. Personally, he felt that he could deal without the hassle of shopping with two people he barely knew. He was much more open to staying at home and going over Kikyo's autopsy report again. A night's sleep had done nothing to ease his mind, or make him feel any less guilty. It bothered him that he couldn't figure out why his wife had been outside in such nasty weather.

"I've only been wearing the same outfit for days." Shippo said in a sarcastic tone. "Anyways, I'm assuming that Kagome is going to pay for most of it. Why would I pass up a chance to get free stuff?"

"I wouldn't be so sure there kid. Kagome is really iffy about giving away stuff for free, so be prepared to pay her back somehow." Inuyasha lectured from his own experiences and took a deep drink of milk. Shippo barely contained his laughter at the milk moustache that was left on Inuyasha upper lip before Inuyasha wiped it off. "You seem pretty confident that Kagome will let you stay with her for a long time. What about your own parents? Won't they be worried?" It had crossed his mind occasionally that theoretically Shippo should have a family he could stay with.

"Kagome hasn't said anything about making me move out." Shippo said. He had grown attached to the kind young woman over the past. He truly believed that she would let him stay with her for a while. "Besides, my parents were the ones who told me to leave, and they don't live anywhere near here." He looked away, unwilling to say any more.

They were both silent for a moment. Inuyasha was realizing that he wasn't the only one who was dealing with something personal at the moment. What kind of parents told their child to leave and condemned them to a life on the streets? His parents had died when he was 14, but he still remembered them as loving and kind people. He opened his mouth to say something but Shippo beat him to it.

"Don't apologize; it's not your fault that some people just weren't meant to be parents." Shippo looked up at him. For a moment he seemed so much wiser than he should be for someone at his age. "Besides, I turned out fine." A smile broke out across his face.

"Keh, that's what you think." Inuyasha said. He put his glass in the sink and returned to the bedroom he shared with Shippo. From the sounds coming from down the hall, the kid had turned on the TV and was watching cartoons.

The pillow lay on the bed where he had left it. It had been a long time since he had slept with no one by his side, so the pillow comforted him some what, although nothing could replace the gap left by Kikyo. He smeared out the creases left by his sleeping form in the blankets and returned the pillow to the head of the bed.

The room had clearly once belonged to Kagome. The walls were a light pink color, posters of various bands and events still clung to them. Shelves along the wall contained figurines, stuffed teddy bears and picture frames. He slept on a twin-sized bed, and Shippo was sleeping on two mattresses that Kagome had pulled out of the attic. Inuyasha walked over to the dresser and examined the pictures that were framed there. Most of them were of a younger Kagome surrounded by groups of people, presumably her friends. A few were of a young man Kagome had told him was her brother. One was of a man and a woman, both older, sitting on a bench under a huge tree. The smiles on their faces were huge and welcoming. He picked the frame up, studying the picture closer.

"Those were my parents." Kagome said, standing right beside him. He froze and hurriedly putting the picture back. He felt embarrassed for snooping and even more embarrassed for being caught.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" he yelled.

She laughed. "It was so funny though. You looked like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

"Ya … well … Umm …" He backed up, not sure of what to say. Was she mad at him?

"Don't worry. I'm not mad." She said reading her thoughts. She picked up the picture herself, studying it with a hint of sadness in her face. "This was taken a week before my dad was diagnosed with cancer. He was 43."

"I'm sorry." Realizing how important the photograph must have been he felt even worse. All the guilt was piling up inside of him, the guilt of so many things.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago and you can't change the past." She was fully dressed and was running a hand through her still damp hair. "Ready to go?" she asked.

He scowled. "I'm not coming." He stated simply.

"You're not just going to stay here and feel sorry for yourself are you?" she put her hands on her hips and glared in his direction. "I won't let you. This is _my_ house and you have to listen to _my_ rules."

"So you're going to force me to go shopping with a bossy woman and a snappy kid?" he yelled. "I have better things to do with my time, thank you very much."

"You're impossible!" she exclaimed. "You haven't changed your clothes in days and you're starting to smell. You have to start living a little Inuyasha. Trust me, I've seen it happen, feeling sorry for yourself because someone died is NOT good for you. You are coming." She was talking through her teeth and Inuyasha was starting to feel a little scared.

"You can't make me." He said meekly.

"You want to bet?" she stared him down.

Needless to say, Inuyasha's arguing was pointless and in half and hour the trio was ready to go.

**To Be Continued...**

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_Author's Note: Another filler chapter! Oh well. Next time: shopping and an upsetting visit. _

_Some reviewers pointed out that I forgot to explain an important point in the last chapter. (Kikyo's lack of wanting to go to a hospital.) I'll be honest. I forgot. However, it will be explained later, because I have rethought the rest of the ficcy, just to include that point. Also, I haven't decided whether or not to turn this into and InuKag fic for the rest of it. I probably won't be, if I use the ending that I have in my head, however I would like to hear your thoughts on this. _

_Thank you so much for all the yummy reviews I have gotten so far. I really would like to hear your thoughts on this story, so please keep reviewing. Also, I apologize for the lack of plot advancement in this chapter. _


	11. The Lingering Aftertaste of Onion

_Author's Note: No, Rachynn is not dead, although was in a state akin to death. It is called 'Summer School' and she warns you to avoid it like a plague if at all possible. Anyways she has chained herself to the computer desk in hopes that she can do mass updating. However, that didn't necessarily work; the aroma of food and thoughts of sleep was to tempting for her to pass up, and thus, cobwebs settled upon her un-updated fan fiction. _

_Sorry guys I didn't think it would take this long. Eight hours in a hot non-air conditioned portable is NOT fun, and takes a severe toll on my creativity, with unforeseen long lasting effects. That plus this wonderful skill I've picked up over the years called procrastination. As a result this chapter was written in 3 stages, all weeks apart. _

_Yes, I'm sure that you're now tired of all my complaining so I will allow you to continue on to the latest chapter. (You can kill me later)_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I do own Erika. _**

**A Bread Crumb**

**Chapter 11: The Lingering Aftertaste of Onion **

_**By: Rachynn**_

The shiny, expensive red car cruised at a rapid, yet steady pace down the highway. The trees and fields flew by the window, blurs of color to the driver's eye. The driver himself was almost alone, his only companions being the inanimate objects called 'radio' and 'coffee'. The windows were shut and the heater was on. It was snowing lightly, and there was a bit of a chill in the air.

He was driving home. For the past three months he had been halfway across the country, pursuing new leads and searching. Always searching. A frown crossed his face, his mood turning sour, as it did every time he thought about the search. Memories backed up his feelings of betrayal and hurt, still left open and bleeding from that moment. That moment when the person he loved most had been cruelly ripped away from him and his future changed drastically.

He turned up the radio louder, trying to drown the sadness and rage building up inside him. The angry beat of the metal music soothed him somewhat, but the feelings had not fully retreated. His therapist had told him continually that pent up emotions were not healthy, and need to be expressed in various ways.

Months of searching, exhausting every lead and long sleepless nights were his way of letting all the emotion out. Now it seemed all for nothing. His search had turned up nothing so far, and he had thrown himself entirely into it. The two people he sought seemed to have effectively vanished from the face of the planet. The old feelings of betrayal were returning, and he was lusting for revenge.

He pressed a little harder on the gas pedal, speeding up. "I'll make you face me. Running away won't save you." He whispered to himself. Those people, it was their fault that the love of his life was dead. He would find them, if it took his whole life. He would make them see what they had wrought in the aftermath of their actions.

He almost missed the exit off the highway; he was so lost in thought. His map had shown that a small town that lay a half hours drive past the highway. Driving all night had exhausted him, but since that time, he found that there was less traffic at night so he could go quicker and cover greater distance. Now it was morning, and time to sleep. If the town had no motel, he would find a parking spot and sleep in his car. Half an hour away was a bit of a stretch, but it was the only civilization for the next 100 miles.

His stomach growled. He would have to stop and get a bite to eat as well…

He slowed the speed of the car and turned off the highway onto an off ramp. The ramp let him off on an old road that didn't seem to get much use. A glance at the dashboard, and he saw the face of his girlfriend, giving him the energy he needed to continue. He took her picture with him everywhere; it wasn't something he could give up. Her smile, he would never forget it. Seeing her always made him, in turn, smile too. Even now, when she was gone…

"When I find you two, I will make you pay." He said over the music.

---

The snow was falling, but it wasn't a hindrance. A thin white layer covered the ground, crunching under their feet as the trio walked down the street. Shippo and Kagome were in deep conversation, Inuyasha was slightly behind, arms crossed, lost in thought.

The town was small, consisting on a main street that had most of the shops and stores on it, though a few were located on streets that branched off Main Street; beyond that were houses, a church and a school. The town had been founded a century ago, in order to take advantage of the fertile fields that made up the valley. It was surrounded by farms and fields full of crops when it was growing season. As a result, the towns' people were close, all knowing each other in some way. News travelled fast here.

Though it was still early, there were many on the streets working their way to church. More than a few gave quick, disapproving glance their way. Kagome didn't pay them any mind, but Inuyasha couldn't help it. The way they looked at him, it made him shiver. What was their problem? He thought angrily. He quickened his pace to catch up with his companions. Perhaps their stares would stray if they saw he was in a group.

He itched his back absently. He had been mulling over some thoughts since they left. It was possible that Kagome was right, that he did need some new clothes. The ones he was currently wearing were frayed at the edges and faded from long hours spent in the sun and was he really starting to smell? "Feh." He spat, it wasn't worth worrying about.

"Kagome!" a voice called from the other side of the street. Abruptly the group stopped. A figure was waving viciously in their direction and crossing the street. Kagome waved back, smiling. Shippo and Inuyasha looked at each other, instinctively moving closer before turning back to watch the proceedings. A woman around Kagome's age was coming towards them at a high speed.

"Kagome! It's been a while!" the newcomer said when she reached their side of the street.

"A while? You mean a week…" Kagome laughed.

"Exactly! A week is too long to go without seeing my best friend. Jeez, where have you been?"

Inuyasha and Shippo glanced at each other. This woman was clearly an acquaintance of Kagome, and clearly someone with a high energy level. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose and messy bun. She was shorter than Kagome, but not by much. A dark green sweater and a pair of jeans were all that protected her from the falling snow.

Seeing this Kagome gasped. "Erika, you must be so cold!" Kagome herself wore a thick jacket. Erika shrugged.

"I can't feel it. That's not answering my question though. Seriously Kagome, I was worried about you, all wrapped up in that store of yours. It's not healthy." The concern was evident in her eyes. Erika hadn't yet noticed that Inuyasha and Shippo were standing with Kagome.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Well, something came up and I was a little busy." Her mouth fell open a little when she realized that she hadn't introduced her companions yet. She turned to Inuyasha and Shippo. "Erika, these are some new roommates of mine, Inuyasha and Shippo. Guys, this is Erika, one of my friends from school."

Erika's eyebrow shot up. "Roommates? Since when do you have roommates?" She eyed the two men curiously. It was extremely out of character for Kagome to invite some strange men into her home. As nice as her friend was, she had a ridiculous phobia of strangers.

"Ok…." She said after a moment of silence from all parties. "I sense this is a long story. Are you going somewhere terribly important or can we go somewhere and talk?" Now that her curiosity was peaked, Erika was eager to hear what had happened.

"We're going shopping." Inuyasha growled, stepping up. He would be damned if he was going to be stuck talking to _another_ stranger about his life story. No, today was definitely not the best day to do that.

"I thought you didn't want to go shopping with a bossy woman and a snappy kid Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, her face showing nothing but innocence. He knew that deep beneath that visage was a mass of trouble and mischief though. "Wouldn't a break be nice?"

"A break? We haven't even started." Shippo butted in. "Since when am I a snappy kid?"

Inuyasha ignored the kid and glared at Kagome. "Well sorry if you want to change your mind all the time." His eyes rolled around in his head. Women!

"Umm… Hello?" Erika was saying. "I'm still here you know."

Inuyasha was still glaring in everyone's general direction. He remained tight lipped though, unwilling or unable to admit defeat. Shrugging, he stepped back. Kagome sighed. "So difficult…" she said quietly before turning back to Erika. "How about we go to The Coffee Shop?" she suggested.

Erika stared nervously at Inuyasha before nodding. She was clearly perturbed by the experience. "Is he always like this?" she asked, flicking a thumb in his direction. Kagome shook her head. "He's just agitated. You don't mind putting shopping off for a bit, do you Shippo?" she asked.

Shippo shook his head. "Unlike some people, I can be agreeable." He said. Erika laughed. Not changing direction, the trio plus one continued down Main Street. Shippo, Kagome and Erika entering into an involved conversation while Inuyasha, as usual, sulked behind them.

They arrived outside a picturesque coffee shop. The steamy aroma of ground coffee beans drifted through the door as they walked in. The interior was decent, warm colors, burning fire place and a busy, short-one-person staff scurrying around behind the counter. Being from the city, Inuyasha had seen countless other coffee shops just the same, and saw nothing special about this particular one. However, to Kagome and Erika, this was the coolest place in town when they were growing up. Memories were stored in every inch of the place.

They occupied a booth near the back. It was warm, Kagome shed her jacket. Erika ordered a coffee, but the rest were still full from breakfast and declined the offer.

"Ok. Kagome. How did you all meet?" Erika asked. She leaned forward, elbows on the table and chin resting in her palms. The coffee stir-stick hung loosely from between her lips. "This is all very interesting, but how could you leave me out?"

Kagome winced. "I'm sorry Erika, I guess that with the store and everything that's happened, I was a little consumed."

Erika smiled. "Of course. I'm just joking. Now enough with the chit chat, I want to know how you ended up living with these … roommates … of yours."

Inuyasha glared. He didn't like this one bit. The only thing that was stopping him from leaving was well…nothing really. He couldn't go back to Kagome's and there was no where else in the town that he felt the need to go to. Shippo was looking at him, with a gaze that said 'Relax or I'm going to bite you.'

At least, that was how Inuyasha interpreted it. Jeez, what was his problem? Since when was he this aversive to people? He didn't know anything about this Erika person; he had no right to be acting like a jerk.

There was a moment of awkward silence around the table. Then Kagome took a deep breath and began to relate the tale of their meeting. Inuyasha and Shippo contributed at times. Of course, certain issues were glazed over or completely left out, such as the conditions under which Inuyasha became homeless. Throughout the whole thing, Erika nodded her head occasionally, or contributed her thoughts and opinions when asked. However for the most part she remained silent.

"There is one thing I don't get…" Erika said slowly when the tale was told. "How come you didn't take Kikyo to the hospital if she was so sick?" She looked completely innocent when asking, sipping the final drops of coffee from her cup.

Kagome looked to Inuyasha. She herself had been wondering about that for some time.

"If we went to the hospital, they would have asked us questions. They would have separated us… Kikyo understood that." Inuyasha chuckled to himself. "She always did have an irrational fear of needles as well."

"That's a stupid reason." Erika blurted, doing nothing to stop herself. Inuyasha glared at her. "You wouldn't understand. You wouldn't understand what we went through together. We decided that if anything happened to one of us, then we would let each other go…" He fumbled around for words, mentally cursing himself. He had never been a great communicator.

Unnoticed by the foursome, a shiny red car was pulling up outside the coffee shop. Those outside of the streets couldn't help but stare, having never seen a car so shiny or so expensive. The owner parked and stepped out, either ignoring or not noticing the town's people. He wore a thick blue jacket and dark blue jeans. Polished black shoes left deep footprints in the snow as he walked around the car and onto the sidewalk. Eventually, he made his way into the coffee shop, metal coffee thermos in hand.

"Well don't get worked up over it." Erika was saying. "You're right; I can't understand what the two of you went through. However if it was me in that situation, then I would have wanted my lover to be saved, I wouldn't be able to sit there and watch them die. I guess though, that the past is the past and it can't be changed now, can it?"

"No it can't." Inuyasha said solomly.

There were more moments of long, awkward silence around the table. Finally Kagome stood up. "We should go guys. Erika, pop by the store sometime ok?" Normally, Kagome might have asked Erika to join them, but given the past conversation, that was probably not the best course of action to take. The other three stood up as well, and they all made their way to the door. Erika dropped her empty paper coffee cup into the garbage before stepping out onto the sidewalk.

She gaped openly at the car outside. "Wow." She stated to Kagome and the others, almost speechless. She had never seen anything so nice, much less so close. Inuyasha was staring at the car blankly, and Shippo was openly trying to refrain himself from touching it.

"Someone probably got lost." Inuyasha laughed. "Who would come to a hick town like this voluntarily?" It was all in jest, if memory served him right, that kind of car would probably be something that he or any of his friends would be driving right now, had the fire not happened.

Kagome and Erika quickly turned on him with angry glares. Their hometown may be small and 'unimportant' but it was home to them, a special place. "You came here didn't you?" Kagome pointed out. He shrugged. "You forget, I just happen to turn up here."

They continued to laugh and banter about it as they continued down Main Street towards a store that Erika had suggested. At the door, Erika left them and turned to go home.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being followed.

---

_Author's Note: Any comments? I regret not updating sooner, because it's harder to write this ficcy now… Please tell me what you think of this chapter… I know what I think. This chapter is to inconsistent and very lacking in cool-ness. _


	12. The Fuzzy Skin of Peaches

**A Bread Crumb**

**Chapter 12: The Fuzzy Skin of Peaches**

By: Rachynn

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. **_

He didn't believe it, all that searching, for nothing. He could have laughed. All he had needed to do was drive into some obscure town and walk into a coffee shop. How was he supposed to have known that one half of the pair of people that he sought was right there? He considered approaching the man, but the coffee shop was to public, he couldn't do anything here. It took most of his restraint to pay for the coffee without continuously glancing at the man.

Eventually, he sat down at a booth near the door. He sipped his coffee and read the newspaper that he had found laying on the table. It was a few days old, but no matter, it was still informative. His attention wasn't really on the newspaper though. He was staring over the top of the page at _him_.

He was sitting with two women and a child. This brought a frown to the newcomers face. The conversation he was having seemed serious, all of the parties involved eventually speaking at least once. Questions spun through his mind. What was Inuyasha doing here in such a small town? He applauded his prey, it was a genius idea. Had it not been for creature comforts, Miroku never would have entertained the notion of coming to this off-the-map town. If someone wanted to disappear, this was the perfect place, _if_ you could make yourself blend in.

Second, where was Kikyo and why was Inuyasha sitting with two _other_ women? Had the two separated and gone their separate ways? Miroku narrowed his eyes. He doubted it; those two had been so absorbed in each other that he was certain that nothing could tear them apart.

These thoughts mulled about in his head for a few long moments. He was so close to him, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything. Not here, not now. His mind shifted into calculating mode, going over the possible courses of action he could take.

Then, they were leaving. They were quiet until they got outside, where he watched them gape at his car. Once they had moved on, he followed them discreetly down the street. From a safe distance he watched them disappear into a clothing store. He had noticed the poor quality of Inuyasha's clothes, if they might be called that. Miroku wrinkled his nose. The Inuyasha he knew wouldn't have been caught dead in a dirty piece of clothing. It occurred to him that Inuyasha and Kikyo may have changed in the months since their disappearance. Although the question remained; how much had they changed?

He tried his best to go unnoticed, but he didn't fit in at all in this small town. He ended up sitting in his car, stewing over events. He sat there, trying his best to ignore the stares of passer byers; the street was gradually becoming more and more crowded. It wasn't until he saw Inuyasha and company come out of the store, a few plastic bags on their person, that he started the car.

He tried to make it seem that he was cruising around looking for a parking lot or something, but that was proving difficult. He was really just trying to follow Inuyasha, to see where he was going, where he was staying. He didn't have a full plan worked out in his mind, not past the moment when he finally met Inuyasha face to face.

---

Kagome was talking animatedly about the clothes they had just bought. They had all been on sale of course. It seemed that Kagome was the type that enjoyed shopping over enthusiastically. Kikyo was much the same, except that Kagome was more worried about cost that Kikyo had ever been. Internally Inuyasha cursed himself. He couldn't compare Kagome and Kikyo, it wasn't right. It only made him think about Kikyo more in the long run anyways, something he was sure couldn't be healthy.

They were almost at Kagome house/store when Inuyasha noticed something. That shiny car from outside the coffee shop, it was following them. He frowned. While he had seen plenty of expensive cars in his life, a lot of people around here had not. His curiosity peaked as he contemplated possible reasons for the driver to be here. Most of the reason he came up with were simply products of an under-used imagination and had no real holding on reality.

"…and that green shirt really goes well with your eyes Shippo." Kagome was saying as she unlocked the door. Shippo was grinning, soaking in the attention that had long been denied to him. Inuyasha watched out of the corner of his eye as the car turned into the parking lot a few yards away. There was nothing odd in that, the town only had two parking lots; one at the end of Main Street and the other beside the church.

"Hey Kagome…" he began. "Have you ever seen a car like that before?" Inuyasha was careful not to point, in case the driver noticed the attention that Inuyasha was giving him. Kagome looked at him funny, before turning her head to look at the car. "You mean before we left the coffee shop? No. It sure is nice though."

"A little too nice." Inuyasha stated slyly. "Why don't you and Shippo go inside, I'm going to go ask the driver if he's lost." Kagome nodded and followed Shippo inside, neither thinking much of the appearance of the car nor noticing it's location as something significant. Inuyasha was starting to get a weird feeling, and he tried not to let it show as he walked up to the car.

He was about to knock on the passenger side window but it rolled down before he got the chance. "You lost or something buddy?" Inuyasha asked before looking into the window to get a good look at the drivers face. When he finally did glance into the car, he saw a face that he never expected to see.

"Miroku…" he gasped, quite shocked that his old friend had turned up here. He almost didn't believe it. What were the chances of him ever coming to this place?

"Inuyasha…" Miroku said in response, his voice a little on edge. "It would seem that after much searching I have finally found you. Would you like to come for a ride with me?"

---

_Author's Note: I felt like writing, thus a really short chapter was born. Not much happens in it though. Oh sigh, please review! I would also like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far! When I started this ficcy, I never thought to get so many… I'd hug you all, but we are all just little bits of … stuff … on the internet. I'll stop rambling now. _


	13. The Painful Spice of Jalapeño

**A Bread Crumb**  
Chapter 13: The Painful Spice of Jalapeño  
By: Rachynn

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha

* * *

The car reeked of fast food. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. All that fatty, greasy, meat made him nauseous nowadays.

_"You're a fucking coward." _

He had left them behind. A short, strained goodbye in the parking lot and he was gone from their life.

_"Stop running away and face your problems." _

Wasn't leaving them just like running away? No matter what he could have done, he was letting someone down either way.

_"Friends are supposed to stick together, not desert each other when the going gets tough. You're nothing but a coward for what you did."_

Miroku wasn't talking to him. He didn't expect him to do a lot of talking just yet though. The radio was on, playing some tune that he had never heard before. Redding city was close, only 20 more minutes until he would be 'home'.

It hadn't taken much to convince him to come back. When Inuyasha had initially refused to get in the car with Miroku, the man had gotten out. The shouting from the aggressive negotiations that came about brought Shippo and Kagome running from the store.

_"Songo died."_

A lot of people had died.

_"Songo died and you left. We needed you two there and you both fucking left!" _

Miroku, in his rage, couldn't understand the reasons Kikyo and he had for leaving. It was something between the two of them. They had no money in Redding, no family and a large amount of people who's deaths were blamed on them. They couldn't have stayed.

_"Come home."_

What did he have left in that small town? Kikyo was dead. Their adventure was over. The townspeople would never accept him if they ever found out he was just some hobo.

_"You can't run away forever, Inuyasha."_

So he said good bye, and left with Miroku. He was going to face his demons in Redding. Miroku told him that he was doing the right thing, but why did he feel so low? Why did he feel like scum for leaving that town?

* * *

**Three Years Later**

Kagome sunk into the cushions of her couch, flinging her arms out behind her. It had been a long and busy day. One of the other grocery stores had closed last year, so her own store had quickly gained a surprising amount of new customers. Shippo helped out around the store every day, but she was worried that she would have to hire someone else to help them cope. Maybe she would ask Erika to help out. As far as she knew, Erika was working part time at the service station half an hour down the highway.

"Kagome" came Shippo voice from his bedroom, once the room at he and Inuyasha had shared. Soon after _he_ had left, Kagome had done some digging into Shippo's family life, revealing the gruesome truth. His parents were hardcore heroin addicts, both unemployed and deep in debt. They seemed to care more about where their next hit was coming from than the wellbeing of their own son. Thus, a few calls were made and a few months later, Kagome had legal guardianship over Shippo.

"What is it?" Kagome called back.

Shippo padded his way into the living room. He had grown taller in the past three years, and grew his hair out longer. "I think you might want to turn on the TV." He was a much older looking.

Kagome look at him with a strange look on her face. "Why?"

"Just turn it on." he said, plopping himself down on the couch next to her. She picked up the remote from the arm rest and flicked the TV on.

"What channel?"

"The news, channel 4."

The channels was turned, only to reveal the slur of commercials.

"Did you do your homework?" she asked him while waiting for the news to come on. She had enrolled him in school, a few year behind his age group of course. It had seemed that his parents had never bothered to enroll him themselves. Shippo nodded, he was a good student, which she was silently grateful for.

"_Now for our top stories"_

Both of their eyes revert to the TV screen simultaneously. A very fake looking lady sat behind a gigantic desk with white papers in her hand. Her makeup was too thick and her smile to pretty.

_"We have a report coming to you live from Redding City, where a huge anti-poverty demonstration is underway. Police reports from the city say that the demonstration has remained peaceful so far, but they're not going to take any chances. Channel 4 News will be there when the leaders of the demonstration get ready to make a speech in less then 3 minutes. Now to our reporter in the field, Abi Smith."_

The camera switched to a scene unlike Kagome had ever seen before. The streets of downtown Redding City were filled to the brim with people, banners waving in the air for as far as the eye could see.

"What is this Shippo?" Kagome asked, slightly amazed. She had never seen so many people in her life. Shippo didn't respond. A pretty, less fake looking reporter was talking, introducing someone who was standing behind her.

_"Here we have one of the organizers of this demonstration, a man by the name of Inuyasha. Inuyasha.." the reporter said, holding the microphone up to his face. He still looked the same as three years ago, although more well groomed. "What is your motivation for launching this demonstration?"_

* * *

**A/N:** AND CUT. Anywho.. this was going to be the last chapter (don't hate me) but I decided at the last minute to split the last chapter into two parts. Sadly... this fic is just dragging on and on, so I want to end it soon. VERY LITTLE happens in this chapter, but I will explain it all in the next chapter. Please review! Thank you for reading! 


	14. The Final Inches of Milk

**Bread Crumbs**  
**Chapter 14: **The Final Inches of Milk  
_By: Rachynn_

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

"I was homeless three years ago." Inuyasha began, speaking into the reporters microphone. There were throngs of people crowed behind him, on the other side of the red tape that separated the sidewalk from the street. The sheer amount of people who had turned out for the demonstration had managed to shut down some of the streets of downtown. Then again, he had been planning this day for almost 2 years, he didn't expect anything less.

"My wife and myself were homeless and wandered around the country for what seemed like forever. Finally I met someone who offered me a job at a small convenience store in a town a few hours away. The money I made and the food I received really helped my wife and I out for awhile. Unfortunately, my wife died from hypothermia before we could make enough to come back to the city. I organized this demonstration for her, and for all other people living in the various forms of poverty all over the world. It's to show support for them and to help them. Also, I wanted to thank the woman who helped me out with the job. She had a bigger impact on my life than she could have ever imagined. If you're watching this, and you know who you are, I want to say thank you and I'm sorry."

He stared straight into the camera when he said this, as though he could see Kagome on the other side of the lens. He honestly had no idea if she was watching or not, though he had hinted to Shippo in an email or two that he would prefer that Kagome being watching the news at this time.

"Sounds like a very personal story Inuyasha, I'm sorry for the loss of your wife." The reporter was saying. He nodded. "Thanks"

"Did you ever expect this movement to get this big?"

He laughed. "I won't lie. I did. Myself and a few other people that I trust have been planning this for almost two years and we really went wild with advertising and getting the hype up for this. I'm really pleased that the turn out has been as great as it is. It tells the people who are homeless or in poor situations that people, the so called 'rich' people and the middle class, that we do care. There are people out there that care for their plight, and some who have shared their experience."

He had returned to the city with Miroku, feeling guilty and low almost three years ago. Miroku seemed rather please with himself about that, and would mutter stuff about payback and revenge for weeks after their return.

Months of sulking in the spare bedroom of Miroku's apartment ended with a realization. He was back in the city, and now in a position to HELP. He immediately got a well paying job and worked hard. Miroku, after much convincing, helped him and together they started a charity dedicated to helping the homeless and the poor.

Eventually, other people had heard about him and his charity, as well as his story. After all, who could have forgotten the infamous and tragic Wedding Party Fire that claimed the lives of near 50 people? Who _didn't_ know who he was? There were still those who hated him for what had happened, but a few had managed to forgive him and even help him.

The reporter was talking again. "Do you have any final words before we cut to commercial Inuyasha?"

He nodded. He had one more chance to get his message across and hopefully save people from experiencing the same kind of thing that he and Kikyo went through. "Everyone out there can help to eradicate poverty. You don't have to donate money, in fact there are hundreds of things that you can donate rather that money. Food, clothes, blankets, matches, soap, even your volunteer time is all just as important, if not more so, than your money. There are people out there suffering every moment of everyday, and even the littlest thing that we, the ones with almost everything, can do will help. Everyone here at this demonstration is showing support for the people who's lives are at risk every day by living on the streets or in sub standard housing. You can help. Please do."

The reporter nodded, taking the microphone back and turning to back to the cameraman. "You just heard the very emotional and passionate speech from Inuyasha, one of the top leaders of this anti-poverty demonstration taking place as we speak in Redding City. This has been Abi Smith reporting, Caela, back to you." She signed off, alerting the woman at the news desk. The cameraman gave the cue and the reporter was once again able to act normal like.

"Mr. Inuyasha?" she asked, before he turned back into the massive throng of people. He stopped, and looked back at her. She took in the sigh of him. He wore plain blue jeans and a almost-tight fitting green zip-up over a cream colored T-shirt. His long hair was tied back and his skin was flawless. She hardly dared believe the stories he told about himself, they seemed to surreal to her.

"Yes Ms. Smith? What is it?" he asked.

"This may be a personal question... off the record of course, but what ever happened to that woman who helped you? Do you still keep in touch?" She had been curious about this mysterious woman who had took him in after his wife's death. No one seemed to know who she was or where she lived. He had never told anyone.

Abi didn't miss the look of sadness in his eye that lasted for one fleeting moment. "No." he said quietly. "I never had the nerve to call her again, but I do keep in touch with someone living with her. He tells me she's doing fine."

She raised an eyebrow. "He? Should you be jealous?"

Inuyasha immediately blushed. "N..no! It wasn't like that between us!" he stammered. He would never get over Kikyo. To start another relationship wouldn't be fair, he would only ever hold anyone else second in his heart. "No, the guy I email is her ... um... ward I guess you could say."

It was Abi's turn to blush. "Oh... sorry. I shouldn't have presumed. Thank you Inuyasha, for the interview. I don't necessarily understand what you're doing and why, but I think that it's great all the same."

He nodded and with a wave, disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Kagome stared at the TV screen for a long while, mouth hanging open. Shippo laughed at her, and then disappeared into his bedroom. Inuyasha hadn't the decency to contact her once in the past three years and then he goes and apologizes and thanks her in the same breath on _national TV?_ What he was doing for the needy was great but a phone call to her would have been nice before the announcement.

Without warning she barged into Shippo's room. "How did you know that was on TV?" she demanded. Shippo looked up from his book, mischievous grin on his face. He pretended to think, but after three years she knew him better. "Shippo..." she said slowly.

"Well..." he began, "If you ever had time to read the newspaper, you would have read an article about it, given that the demonstration was years in the making and HUGE. Also, Inuyasha might have emailed me one or two times..."

"How did you email him? He didn't have a computer when he was here, how could you know his email?" She was slightly angered that Inuyasha had been emailing Shippo, but not her. Then again, what had she really done for him, besides shelter him and feed him and _try_ to comfort him. Kagome had never exactly made any homeless person feel ... welcome either. She was starting to feel guilty about how she used to act, and she scowled. Since Inuyasha left, she had gotten much better in her attitude towards those less fortunate than herself.

"His email was in the article in the paper. It was put in so that people with questions about the demonstration and stuff could contact him. Like I said, If you ever had time to read the newspaper..." The boy ducked an oncoming pillow that Kagome picked up off the floor.

"It's not my fault I'm busy with the store!" she said loudly.

"Do you want his email?" Shippo said, joking aside. Kagome nodded.

It wasn't until after a late and quick dinner that Kagome was able to sit down at her computer and email Inuyasha. She stared for a long while at the screen, wondering where to start, what to say. She had only known him for a short time, but over the past three years she wondered what it would have been like had he stayed longer.

She sat and she wondered. What would it have been like had he stayed? She wasn't interested in him in a romantic kind of way, not really. She was curious about him though. Where to start...

Then it came to her and she began an email.

_Dear Inuyasha..._

_I know you're running around trying to save the world, but I've been a little short-staff at the store lately..._

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**Final A/N: **Yay, finally done. - realizes she is done – WOW.

Well, this chapter is weird, and _nothing_ like how I originally planned to have it end. I think it's one of the few times I've ended a story without killing anyone. - proud - I'm still sad that Kikyo died... it would have been interesting to keep her around for a bit longer.

I want to apologize for the long waits between chapters, and the short chapters that were useless. I need to work on actually writing fic's with plot. Though maybe I should just stick to oneshots.

PLEASE REVIEW. I want to hear what you thought of my fic, what you liked, what you hated. It's over...

THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed and read _Bread Crumbs_ so far. I feel so loved. Hugs to all of you for taking the time to do that.

...umm... what else do you want me to say?

Fare thee well...


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